Monday, May 31, 2010

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Below are the following advance review copies that I received this week.

1) Manual for Living by David Chernoff. Publisher's Summary. The Manual For Living is a true life-changer, offering a profound conceptual understanding of the role of death in the context of enlightenment and living a life of greatness. A genuine user’s guide to the meaning of life, the Manual offers readers’ straightforward guidance and practical wisdom on discovering one’s true purpose in life. PUBLICATION DATE: May 28, 2010 – Spirit Scope Publishing.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Publisher's Summary. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper: an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.

Still she felt the call, and once she qualified to train a dog of her own, she adopted Puzzle, a strong, bright Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog but who was less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Puzzle's willfulness and high drive, both assets in the field, challenged even Susannah, who had raised dogs for years.

Scent of the Missing is the story of Susannah and Puzzle's adventures together and of the close relationship they forge as they search for the lost--a teen gone missing, an Alzheimer's patient wandering in the cold, signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster. From the earliest air-scent lessons to her final mastery of whole-body dialog, Puzzle emerges as a fully collaborative partner in a noble enterprise that unfolds across the forests, plains, and cityscapes of the Southwest. Along the way Susannah and Puzzle learn to read the clues in the field, and in each other, to accomplish together the critical work neither could do alone and to unravel the mystery of the human/canine bond.

Review. You’ve seen them on the six o’clock news and in the newspapers: search dogs and their handlers. 9/11, the Oklahoma bombing, and virtually every high profile tragedy, the dogs in their colorful vests are on the scene – sniffing for victims. They also perform the more “routine” emergency searches including drownings, missing children, teenage runaways, and Alzheimer walkaways.

But did you know that the vast majority of search and rescue squads are volunteers? What would compel a person to willingly sign up for the hardest of duties without monetary compensation? And what is it like to raise/train a search dog? In Scent of the Missing by Susannah Charleson, the author answers these questions and more.

The memoir is a beautifully written account of Puzzle’s, a Golden Retriever, first eighteen months of training and searching. The story details Puzzle’s maturation as a search dog and Charleson’s growth as a handler. Scent of the Missing also conveys what really happens when a search is called. Not all searches are successful and some are emotionally draining on the handlers.

As Charleson poignantly notes after one fruitless search:

Some of us are angry, some so sad we can barely speak. Rescues that become recoveries are never easy. Recoveries involving children – whether we are there at the moment of find or not – may be the hardest of all. In time we go on to other searches and other sectors behind the dogs. But I am never far away from Braden [a child victim]

Still rain or shine, optimistic or with a heavy heart, on the next search call the dogs and their handlers will be there to give 100 percent until they are told to stand down (cease searching).

Scent of the Missing is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to be search and rescue member.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Publisher's Summary. For more than twenty years, the Hermès Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. Though the bag is often seen dangling from the arms of celebrities, there is a fabled waiting list of more than two years to buy one from Hermès, and the average fashionista has a better chance of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possessing one of these coveted carryalls. Unless, of course, she happens to know Michael Tonello . . .

Michael's newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, a vanished job assignment, no work visa, and an Hermès scarf sold on eBay to generate some quick cash. But soon the resourceful Michael discovered the truth about the waiting list and figured out the secret to getting Hermès to part with one of these precious bags. Millions of dollars worth of Birkins later, Michael had become one of eBay's most successful entrepreneurs—and a Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women.

With down-to-earth wit, Michael chronicles the unusual ventures that took him to nearly every continent, from eBay to Paris auction house and into the lives of celebrities and poseurs. Flirting with danger, Michael recounts the heady rush of hand delivering his first big score to famed songwriter Carole Bayer Sager in Paris; how he had to hire thugs to rescue a bag that one of his "shoppers" held for ransom; and the story of the Oscar-worthy performances that allowed him to snag "reserved" bags from other, less dogged Birkin seekers.

Whether he's relating his wining and dining, buying and selling, dodging and weaving, laughing and crying, or schmoozing and stammering, Michael is a master raconteur who weaves together tales of hunting Birkins in the world's most posh locales, memories of meals that would make any gastronome salivate, anecdotes of obsessed collectors with insatiable desires, and sweetly intimate stories about his family, friends, and finding true love. The result is a memoir that is distinctive, fun, page-turning, and as addictive as its namesake.

Review. Michael Tonello has a rare and special talent: he is able to saunter into a store, throw down the American Express, and buy a purse! Not impressed? This is a purse that even singer/songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, a Tonello customer, cannot purchase from the retailer. This is the purse that until recently had a two year waiting-to-buy list and was the subject of a Sex and the City episode. In short, this purse is not just any carryall, but the super exclusive and ultra expensive Hèmes Birkin.

In Bringing Home the Birkin, Tonello finds himself living in Barcelona without a job or a work permit, and a five year apartment lease to pay. Tonello is an entrepreneurial spirit who hocks his designer duds on ebay for spending money. During one auction, Tonello strikes gold when his Hèrmes scarf is the subject of a fierce bidding war. After the auction several frustrated bidders contact him for more Hèrmes. Tonello purchases several dozen Hèrmes scarves and soon acquires powerseller status on ebay.

Thereafter the author is introduced to the holy grail of the House of Hèrmes: the Birkin, the coveted and scarce handbag for the rich and famous. Soon the intrepid Tonello cracks “the code” to purchasing a Birkin and profits handsomely. Tonello’s Birkin jaunts require him to traverse far and wide across Europe and Latin America, slumbering in 5 star hotels and dining at Zagat rated restaurants, in hot pursuit of fresh Birkins. He details the stories of his conquests with wit and sarcasm:

If there was a secret Birkin bunker anywhere, this was the store. It was enormous, an imposing limestone building. (I had tried to figure out which floors held what while lurking inconspicuously on the sidewalk on my last trip, feeling like a fifteen-year-old casing a theater that showed X-rated movies. I knew not all the floors were devoted to merchandise (and I assumed there was at least one floor devoted to housing the Oompa-Loompas). Well, I’d soon find out . . . .

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Publisher's Summary. Fifteen years after founding Vice, Gavin McInnes has poured his creative juices into a new endeavor: StreetCarnage.com. Growing in size and influence at an alarming rate, the site's main feature is the new and improved version of Gavin's "DOs and DON'Ts," now tantalizingly called Street Boners.

These Boners have been polished and compounded into a book that takes the best of the site and adds hundreds more gems! With 1,312 photos, hilarious captions, and a harsh new rating system-from one to 10 kitten faces-STREET BONERS makes sure no glorious fashion statement goes unnoticed. Innocent citizens are either damned to hell or relentlessly exalted into heaven. Chloe Sevigny, Debbie Harry, Fred Armisen, and Tim & Eric also contribute their scathing wit to the book, and the end result is a New York fashion bible no bathroom should be without.

Giveaway Rules. Today I am giving away THREE copies of this provocative book!

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.You must be 18 years of age or older.NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Below are the following advance review copies that I received this week.

1) The War Lovers by Evan Thomas. Publisher's Summary. On February 15th, 1898, the American ship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in the Havana Harbor. News of the blast quickly reached U.S. shores, where it was met by some not with alarm but great enthusiasm. A powerful group of war lovers agitated that the United States exert its muscle across the seas. Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were influential politicians dismayed by the "closing" of the Western frontier. William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal falsely heralded that Spain's "secret infernal machine" had destroyed the battleship as Hearst himself saw great potential in whipping Americans into a frenzy.

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The most dangerous

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

3) Men and Dogs by Katie CrouchPublisher's Summary. When Hannah Legare was 11, her father went on a fishing trip in the Charleston harbor and never came back. And while most of the town and her family accepted Buzz's disappearance, Hannah remained steadfastly convinced of his imminent return.

Twenty years later Hannah's new life in San Francisco is unraveling. Her marriage is on the rocks, her business is bankrupt. After a disastrous attempt to win back her husband, she ends up back at her mother's home to "rest up", where she is once again sucked into the mystery of her missing father. Suspecting that those closest are keeping secrets--including Palmer, her emotionally closed, well-mannered brother and Warren, the beautiful boyfriend she left behind--Hannah sets out on an uproarious, dangerous quest that will test the whole family's concepts of loyalty and faith.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

In the upcoming weeks I will be reviewing Michael Harvey's exciting new book The Third Rail. In the meantime, however, I would like to direct your attention to a very informative article by the author that provides great background on the characters and plot. You can read the article here. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Publisher's Summary. Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life--except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.Review. Answering the question of what happens after “happily ever after” is This One is Mine by Maria Semple. The novel follows the lives of two women: Violet Parry, a “have” as in have a rich husband, beautiful toddler, elaborate mansion with a full household staff, and lots of free time; and Sally Parry, Violet’s sister-in-law and a “have not” as in no money, husband, mansion/wait staff or copious leisure hours. Neither woman is happy with her lot in life. Violet is at loose ends, because although she loves her daughter, being a mom it isn’t enough. Moreover, her husband David, the ultra powerful music industry executive, treats her like an incompetent servant. Meanwhile Sally will do anything to have Violet’s life. She pines for a deep pocketed hubby who can pay off her crushing credit card debt and score invitations to Hollywood’s A list parties.

Both women resolve to change their lives in all the wrong ways. After a chance encounter, Violet embarks on an affair with a broke, hepatitis C infected, recovering addict, musician Teddy Reyes. Fate, on the other hand, has little to do with Sally’s elaborate plans to snare in matrimony, Jeremy White, a man she barely knows and doesn’t love, but who will soon be a rich and famous sportscaster.

This One is Mine is a witty send up of LA life while simultaneously unfolding an intricate story of complex people making very poor choices. Neither woman is particularly likeable. Nor are the men any more appealing with the loser-jerk Teddy and the Scarface quoting type A David. Amazingly, however, by the story’s conclusion I was rooting for the whole gang! In spite of or maybe because of the bad decisions, the characters gain a bit of insight by the end of the novel. Along the way Semple satirizes the lifestyles of Hollywood’s rich and clueless.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Publisher's Summary. "Being fat isn't your fault; staying fat is." That's what Jackie Warner, America's favorite no-nonsense celebrity fitness trainer tells her own clients, and that's why no one delivers better results than Jackie does. Now for the first time, Jackie shares her revolutionary program, showing readers the best ways to drop pounds and inches fast, without grueling workouts or deprivation, and keep them off for good! Her two-tiered approach provides a complete nutritional makeover and a failure-proof condensed workout routine PLUS all the emotional support and encouragement you need to get to the finish line and beyond.

Giveaway Rules. Today I am giving away THREE copies of this fantastic book!

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.You must be 18 years of age or older.NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Monday, May 17, 2010

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Below are the following advance review copies that I received this week.

1) After the Fall by Kylie Ladd. Publisher's Summary. “I had been married three years when I fell in love,” begins Kate, a firecracker of a woman who thought she’d found the yin to her yang in Cary, her sensible and adoring husband. For their friend Luke—a charismatic copywriter who loves women and attention in equal measure, and preferably together—life has been more than sweet beside Cressida, the dutiful pediatric oncologist who stole his heart. But when a whimsical flirtation between Kate and Luke turns into something far more dangerous, the foursome will be irrevocably intertwined by more than just their shared history.

Steeped in psychological insight and raw emotion, After the Fall is an unsettling novel of the many ways we love and hurt each other.

Thanks to Doubleday!

2) H by Barbara Dinerman. Amazon Product Description. After being infected with herpes, Joan Halprin, a single woman in her mid-thirties, feels untouchable. She spent her youth enjoying worldly experiences in New York and other cities, but now it’s time to start a serious career as a copywriter for a Fort Lauderdale advertising agency. Despite feeling like a pariah in her personal life, Joan is anxious to prove herself professionally.

Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s is experiencing a real estate boom. Joan’s parents have moved from Boston to a retirement community in the area, and her brother and his thrifty wife have settled nearby. But even with the presence of her family, Joan feels isolated with her “H” problem, despite knowing that one in four women, and one in five men, are similarly afflicted.

Her irascible, rotund new boss certainly isn’t helping her regain her self-esteem. But with her irrepressible humor, Joan concocts an extraordinary solution to most of what ails her. Will this creative project work?

“H”: A Novel is an amusing and original tale of office politics, sex, and one woman’s search for her true identity.

Thanks to the author!

3) Huck by Janet Elder. Publisher's Summary. Huck is a page-turning, unforgettable true story of the tenacity of one small dog, the unexpected, extraordinary kindness of strangers, and a family’s devotion to each other.

Michael was four when his relentless campaign for a dog began. At seven he made a PowerPoint presentation, “My Dog,” with headings like “A Childhood Without a Dog is a Sad Thing.” His parents, Janet and Rich, were steadfast; bringing a dog into their fast-paced New York City lives was utterly impractical.

However, on a trip to Italy, a chance happening leads Janet to reconsider, a decision then hastened by a diagnosis of breast cancer. Janet decides the excitement of a new puppy would be the perfect antidote to the strain on the family of months of arduous treatments for her illness. The prospect of a new puppy would be an affirmation of life, a powerful talisman for them all.

On Thanksgiving weekend, soon after the grueling months of treatments are over, Huck, a sweet, mischievous, red-haired, toy poodle joins the family and wins everyone’s heart.

A few months later the family ventures to baseball’s spring training, leaving Huck with Janet’s sister in Ramsey, New Jersey. Barely twenty-four hours into the trip, Janet receives the dreaded phone call: Huck has slipped through the backyard fence and run away.

Broken-hearted and frantic, the family catches the first plane to New Jersey to begin a search for their lost puppy. It is a race against time, for little Huck is now lost in an area entirely unfamiliar to him, facing the threat of bears and coyotes, swamps and freezing temperatures, rain and fast cars.

Moved by the family’s plight, strangers – from school children to townspeople to the police lieutenant – join the search, one that proves to be an unyielding test of determination and faith.

Touching and warm-hearted, Huck is a spirit-lifting story about resilience, the generosity of strangers, and hope.

Thanks to Random House!

4) Street Boners by Gavin McInnes. Publisher's Summary. Fifteen years after founding Vice, Gavin McInnes has poured his creative juices into a new endeavor: StreetCarnage.com. Growing in size and influence at an alarming rate, the site's main feature is the new and improved version of Gavin's "DOs and DON'Ts," now tantalizingly called Street Boners.

These Boners have been polished and compounded into a book that takes the best of the site and adds hundreds more gems! With 1,312 photos, hilarious captions, and a harsh new rating system-from one to 10 kitten faces-STREET BONERS makes sure no glorious fashion statement goes unnoticed. Innocent citizens are either damned to hell or relentlessly exalted into heaven. Chloe Sevigny, Debbie Harry, Fred Armisen, and Tim & Eric also contribute their scathing wit to the book, and the end result is a New York fashion bible no bathroom should be without.

5) Spent by Avis Cardella. Publisher's Summary. As a child, Avis Cardella devoured the glamorous images in her mother's fashion magazines. She grew up to be one of the people in them, living a life that seemed to be filled with labels and luxury. But shopping had become a dangerous addiction. She forwent food for Prada. Credit card debt blossomed like the ever-increasing pile of unworn shoes and clothing in the back of her closet. She defined herself by the things she owned and also lost herself in the mad hunt for the perfect pair of pants or purse that might make her feel whole.

Spent is Avis Cardella's timely, deeply personal, and shockingly dramatic exploration of our cultural need to spend, and of what happens when someone is consumed by the desire to consume.

6) 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School by Louis Eguaras with Matthew Frederick. Publisher's Summary. Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with a terrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluable insights into just what is involved in making this one's chosen profession.

The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, from how to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from food preparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality and management, and much more.

The book will be presented in the distinctive and highly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who is thinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, or even just the casual chef.

7) 101 Things I Learned in Fashion School by Alfredo Cabrera with Matthew Frederick. Publisher's Summary. The world of the fashionista is brought to vivid life with 101 introductory lessons on such topics as how a designer anticipates cultural trends and "sees" the fashion consumer, the workings of the fashion calendar, the ways a designer collection is conceived, the manufacture of fabric, fashion illustration, and more.

Illustrated in the distinctly unique packaged style of the bestselling101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, this new book on fashion design will be a perfect book for any fashion school wannabe, a recent graduate, or even a seasoned professional.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Amazon Product Description. Robin Spizman says: “Refreshingly vulnerable, witty and wise. Waiting for Jack feels like a conversation with your best friend over coffee. With an honest approach and take action message, Kristen Moeller motivates readers to make it happen. This book is a special gift!”

Waiting for Jack is Eat, Pray, Love meets the Success Principles. Its memoir meets “how to.” It’s an inquiry into why we keep waiting for our lives to start, why we look outside ourselves for the answers and why we hide the magnificence that we really are. After so many years of being a seeker and not a finder, I declared an end to the “waiting for Jack.” Through the sharing of intimate and authentic stories (both mine and others), the reader takes the journey to break free from the “self-help treadmill” and to find their own “inner Jack.”

It is the permission we have been waiting for to end the cycle of searching and never finding. It’s an inquiry not an answer—the reader is provided with tools and challenged to find her own unique answers. It is the call to stop “jacking around.” It’s the access to being set free to create our lives and to stop waiting to live.

We are all Waiting for Jack—whatever or whoever “Jack” is. We falsely believe the gifts of life are just around the corner, that anywhere is better than here, that one day we will arrive and everything will be okay. So we don’t try; we give up. We sell out and we forget who we are. We are afraid to succeed, afraid to fail, and afraid to say we are afraid. But as Wayne Gretzky said, “You'll always miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don't take!”

So take the shot, get on the path, and move forward. Authentically give your word to something that matters to you. And remember, you don’t have to wait for Jack.

Review. “Yeah, just sitting around waiting for my life to beginWhile it was all just slipping away.I'm tired of waiting for tomorrow to comeOr that train to come roaring 'round the bend.”

Better Days by Bruce Springsteen

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have put my life on hold waiting for the perfect degree, career, relationship, house, financial investment or even dress. During these times I truly believed that once I had it or done it that I would have “arrived” only to find myself in search of the next “it.” Maybe you’ve done this too.

In Waiting for Jack by Kristen Moeller explains the basis for this waiting game:

[W]hen we wait, we put our life on hold. We become trapped in our impatience and turmoil. We define ourselves by that thing or experience that is supposed to change it all and make it better. We are not present to life, and we lose sight of who we really are.

Paradoxically, we wait and try to get somewhere at the same time – and that somewhere is anywhere but here, in the moment, in the now. We believe when we get there or have that, we will possess eternal happiness. We look for the magic pill. But what if we’ve already swallowed? What if we were born with it? What if we are it?

With stories, confessions, and insights, Moeller seeks to liberate both the reader and herself from this holding pattern. By learning to accept that one has enough (as in material stuff) and is enough (as in the intangible assets such as intelligence or personality), one can learn to live in the present moment.

Waiting for Jack is illustrative book on how to end the quest for “it” and enjoy the journey of life.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Publisher's Summary. Every woman's closet-no matter the size-is a room of her own. In that space hang side by side the special occasions and the everyday, the triumphs and the disasters, the memories we want to keep and those we should jettison. Gross helps us to reconsider our closet identity and discover who we want to be. She shares her personal journey and the intimate, poignant and often humorous stories of the dozens of women she interviewed across the country. Along with calming fashion advice about how to choose flattering clothes that will fit any woman's shape and style, Gross's engaging stories will help every woman evolve gracefully from wife to mother, from empty-nester to globe-trotting adventurer--whatever role she chooses--while letting her style express her inner beauty.

Giveaway Rules. Today I am giving away THREE copies of this fantastic book!

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.You must be 18 years of age or older.NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Monday, May 10, 2010

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Below are the following advance review copies that I received this week.

1) The Lovers by Vendela Vida. Amazon Product Description. Twenty-eight years ago, Peter and Yvonne honeymooned in the beautiful coastal village of DatÇa, Turkey. Now Yvonne is a widow, her twin children grown. Hoping to immerse herself in memories of a happier time—as well as sand and sea—Yvonne returns to DatÇa. But her plans for a restorative week in Turkey are quickly complicated. Instead of comforting her, her memories begin to trouble her. Her vacation rental's landlord and his bold, intriguing wife—who share a curious marital arrangement—become constant uninvited visitors, in and out of the house.

Overwhelmed by the past and unexpectedly dislocated by the environment, Yvonne clings to a newfound friendship with Ahmet, a local boy who makes his living as a shell collector. With Ahmet as her guide, Yvonne gains new insight into the lives of her own adult children, and she finally begins to enjoy the shimmering sea and relaxed pace of the Turkish coast. But a devastating accident upends her delicate peace and throws her life into chaos—and her sense of self into turmoil.

With the crystalline voice and psychological nuance for which her work has been so celebrated, Vendela Vida has crafted another unforgettable heroine in a stunningly beautiful and mysterious landscape.

Thanks to Harper Collins!

2) Nancy's Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith. Amazon Product Description. Lively young socialite Nancy Carrington-Chambers has always believed an excellent sense of style and strict attention to detail are what it takes to succeed, but her own husband Todd is showing symptoms of incurable tackiness, so Nancy flees their McMansion for her posh San Francisco apartment. She knows her event planning company, Froth, is a real winner, but she must prove herself by reinventing the turgid Barbary Coast Historical Museum fundraiser. Luckily, Nancy now has the perfect assistant. Derek Cathcart is British, impeccably dressed, gorgeous, and clearly gay—so why does Nancy find him so attractive?

Before Nancy can unravel her feelings, her irresponsible cousin Birdie abandons her little daughter with Nancy and takes off. Nancy, Derek, and Eugenia make an unlikely “family,” but strangely it seems incredibly right. Now Nancy’s parents are pressuring her to return to Todd, and she still has to pull off a spectacular party. For someone who’s always known exactly where she’s going, Nancy is in dangerously uncharted waters.

Irresistibly funny and romantic, Nancy’s Theory of Style shows that happiness andlove—just like fashion—aren’t about playing it safe.

6) Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn. Amazon Product Description. South Africa, 1953. The National Party's rigid race laws have split the nation and a gruelling poverty grips many on the edges of its society. When former Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper stumbles across the body of a child, Jolly Marks, at the Durban docks, he can little imagine what the discovery will lead him to. Trying to resist his instinct to pursue the truth behind this terrible crime - his life fell apart following his last investigation - Cooper decides to leave this one to the proper authorities. But the trouble is, someone in the shadows has rather different ideas ...Soon Cooper finds himself under suspicion for not only Jolly's murder, but others as well. The only way he can clear his name is to find out who the real killer was - and he's got forty-eight hours to do it in. Assisted by his former boss, Van Nierkerk - a man forever on the lookout for a way to advance his own cause - and Van Nierkerk's beautiful, enigmatic mistress Lana, Cooper's investigations will lead him into Durban's murky underworld of pimps, prostitutes, strange, sinister preachers, and those on the wrong side of the race laws. He will discover new enemies and be reunited with old friends. And before long, Cooper will find that there is more to Jolly's barbaric murder than he could ever have realized... --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Publisher's Summary. What possesses someone to save every scrap of paper that's ever come into his home? What compulsions drive a woman like Irene, whose hoarding cost her her marriage? Or Ralph, whose imagined uses for castoff items like leaky old buckets almost lost him his house? Or Jerry and Alvin, wealthy twin bachelors who filled up matching luxury apartments with countless pieces of fine art, not even leaving themselves room to sleep?

Randy Frost and Gail Steketee were the first to study hoarding when they began their work a decade ago; they expected to find a few sufferers but ended up treating hundreds of patients and fielding thousands of calls from the families of others. Now they explore the compulsion through a series of compelling case studies in the vein of Oliver Sacks.With vivid portraits that show us the traits by which you can identify a hoarder--piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, houses that can be navigated only by following small paths called goat trails, vast piles of paper that the hoarders "churn" but never discard, even collections of animals and garbage--Frost and Steketee explain the causes and outline the often ineffective treatments for the disorder.They also illuminate the pull that possessions exert on all of us. Whether we're savers, collectors, or compulsive cleaners, none of us is free of the impulses that drive hoarders to the extremes in which they live.

For the six million sufferers, their relatives and friends, and all the rest of us with complicated relationships to our things, Stuff answers the question of what happens when our stuff starts to own us.

Review. Hoarding, an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, is one of the last taboo mental illnesses. The suffers and their families generally hide the problem from friends, co-workers, neighbors and even other loved ones because of the shame associated with the problem. In Stuff by professors Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee, the authors explore the causes, manifestations, and therapeutic treatment of the condition.

Hoarding is defined “not by the number of possessions, but how the acquisition and management of those possessions affects their owners. When hoarding causes distress or impairs one’s ability to perform basic functions, it has crossed the lines into pathology.” Certain traits are associated with hoarding: perfectionism, indecision, and strong attachment issues to “things.” Interestingly, many hoarders are creative and intelligent individuals who are able to see the potential for items that most would discard as trash. Unfortunately, however, this “gift” leads hoarders to be unable to part with newspapers, magazines, old clothing, plastic containers, slips of paper and much, much more.

Treatment for hoarding is vastly more complicated than simply a forced cleaning of hoarders’ homes. As the authors explain:

One of the worst experiences for someone with a hoarding problem occurs when another person or crew clear out the home . . . . [B]ecause of the hoarder’s difficulties with organization, the piles often contain much more than trash. . . . [U]nder the decades-old newspaper may be the title to the person’s car or the diamond ring she lost years before. These scenarios almost always leave the hoarder feeling as if his or her valued possessions have been taken away, which may be the case. Beyond this, most hoarders have a sense of where things are amid the clutter. When someone moves or discards even a portion of it, this sense of “order” is destroyed. We know of several cases in which hoarders have committed suicide following a forced cleanout.

So what does work? Based on the case studies in Stuff it appears that hands-on therapy where the therapist guides the hoarder through the thought processes to discarding their possessions is the best method. However, this is no easy feat. According to Drs. Frost and Steketee, a combination of “[c]ontrolling one’s thinking may take a lifetime of effort for people with serious hoarding problems.

I highly recommend Stuff for both suffers and their family/friends (as well as for those who are simply curious about the condition)! While it may not “cure” the problem is does compassionately and thoroughly explain a profound mental illness.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Recently, I watched the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time. It was always one of those movies that I had been on my "to watch" list, but I had never gotten around to. A few days ago on a whim, I crossed it off my list.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is classic that appealed to me on one level, but left me cold on another. My loves included the rapturous Mancini score (the wistful Moon River is beautiful and memorable -- I'm still humming it!); the iconic clothes (Hepburn was the original Sex and the City woman!); and Hepburn's performance was flawless (the above picture is from the opening scene in which a solitary Hepburn nibbles a bun, in the rooster crowing hours, while longingly gazing into Tiffany's -- no words were spoken, but the emotions resonated loud and clear)!

The plot, however, never really hooked me. Briefly, the story centers around "party girl" Holly Golightly's (Hepburn's character) secret past and present romance with "kept" neighbor George Peppard. I'm wondering if the Capote story lost something in its translation to the silver screen? I also found the chemistry between Hepburn and love interest Peppard lacking. Lastly, the scenes involving Mickey Rooney's impersonation of Hepburn's upstairs Japanese neighbor were offensive (although I gave the film a pass on this point due to its age).

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Amazon Product Description. The promise of Live A Life You Love is simple: being true to your most authentic self and following essential principles of wellness will make you happy, healthy, and passionately in love with life.

With insights drawn from her own personal transformation from a depressed medical doctor to a joyful and fulfilled flamenco dancer, writer, speaker, and life coach, Dr. Susan Biali’s seven-step plan will help you discover (or re-discover) the hopes, passions, and talents that make up the real you.

Even if your dreams have faded, or you worry they are unrealistic, Dr. Biali will teach you how to reach that creative, hopeful place and work towards making those dreams a reality. Along the way, you’ll also learn how to maximize your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

You will learn how to:

•Begin making YOU a priority

•Understand your body’s language

•Choose foods that slow aging, boost health, and improve energy

•Improve your most important relationships

•Balance your life and find time for what counts

•Turn this knowledge into action today.Review. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Some personal journeys are too incredible to be anything, but non-fiction. Susan Biali, M.D.'s story is one of those too fantastic to believe if it wasn't true genre. Halfway through an Emergency Medicine residency, with $100,000 in medical school loans, and suicidal, Dr. Biali had an epiphany: to quit the residency and take up dancing (dancing was her dream career as a child). Along the way, the Canadian born author moved to Mexico, performed the flamenco on stage before Sean Penn, married a fellow dancer, became a published writer and a noted speech-maker. Needless to say this took a lot of courage! As Biali confesses, "All I had was a little bit of talent, a lot of passion, a big dream and piles of faith."

In Live a Life You Love, Biali shares the keys to finding personal fulfillment even if it leads to an unconventional path. Much of the information -- finding your passion; self-love; healing yourself; trusting in a higher power -- is not new (at least not to any reader well versed in the self help genre). That is not to say that this information is not well-packaged because it is. The writing is both entertaining and informative.

Still what is new and what drew me into Live a Life You Love is the author's highly inspirational tale! I really admired the choices Biali made. And this admiration gave her writing more credence than many tomes preaching motivation with cliches that provide little inspiration.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Publisher's Summary. Whenever Therese Borchard was weathering a personal storm, and help was nowhere to be found, her one guiding light was the question, "What would a therapist say?" The result was a sort of therapy scrapbook for rough days--a quick reference for anyone who needs a dose of encouragement, support and tried and true ways to cope.

THE POCKET THERAPIST is a compact and accessible guide filled with techniques and advice to help combat everything from addictive behavior to negative thinking.

Giveaway Rules: Today I am giving away THREE copies of this informative book.

First Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.You must be 18 years of age or older.NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

2) The Language God Talks by Herman Wouk. Publisher's Summary. More years ago than I care to reckon up, I met Richard Feynman." So begins THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS, Herman Wouk's gem on navigating the divide between science and religion. In one rich, compact volume, Wouk draws on stories from his life as well as on key events from the 20th century to address the eternal questions of why we are here, what purpose faith serves, and how scientific fact fits into the picture. He relates wonderful conversations he's had with scientists such as Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, Freeman Dyson, and Steven Weinberg, and brings to life such pivotal moments as the 1969 moon landing and the Challenger disaster.

3) Foxy by Pam Grier. Publisher's Summary. Beautiful, bold, and bad, Pam Grier burst onto the movie scene in the 1970s, setting the screen on fire and forever changing the country's view of African American actresses. With a killer attitude and body to match, Grier became the ultimate fantasy of men everywhere. But she quickly proved that she was more than just a desirable film goddess. She had the brains, courage, and tenacity to sustain a career that would span more than 30 years. In FOXY, she chronicles the good, bad, and steamy highlights in her life and career.

4) This is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner. Publisher's Summary. Being fat isn't your fault; staying fat is." That's what Jackie Warner, America's favorite no-nonsense celebrity fitness trainer tells her own clients, and that's why no one delivers better results than Jackie does. Now for the first time, Jackie shares her revolutionary program, showing readers the best ways to drop pounds and inches fast, without grueling workouts or deprivation, and keep them off for good! Her two-tiered approach provides a complete nutritional makeover and a failure-proof condensed workout routine PLUS all the emotional support and encouragement you need to get to the finish line and beyond.

5) What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life by Kim Johnson Gross. Publisher's Summary. Every woman's closet-no matter the size-is a room of her own. In that space hang side by side the special occasions and the everyday, the triumphs and the disasters, the memories we want to keep and those we should jettison. Gross helps us to reconsider our closet identity and discover who we want to be. She shares her personal journey and the intimate, poignant and often humorous stories of the dozens of women she interviewed across the country. Along with calming fashion advice about how to choose flattering clothes that will fit any woman's shape and style, Gross's engaging stories will help every woman evolve gracefully from wife to mother, from empty-nester to globe-trotting adventurer--whatever role she chooses--while letting her style express her inner beauty.

All of these great books are thanks to Hachette Book Group!

6) Waiting for Jack by Kristen Moeller. Amazon Product Description. Robin Spizman says: “Refreshingly vulnerable, witty and wise. Waiting for Jack feels like a conversation with your best friend over coffee. With an honest approach and take action message, Kristen Moeller motivates readers to make it happen. This book is a special gift!”

Waiting for Jack is Eat, Pray, Love meets the Success Principles. Its memoir meets “how to.” It’s an inquiry into why we keep waiting for our lives to start, why we look outside ourselves for the answers and why we hide the magnificence that we really are. After so many years of being a seeker and not a finder, I declared an end to the “waiting for Jack.” Through the sharing of intimate and authentic stories (both mine and others), the reader takes the journey to break free from the “self-help treadmill” and to find their own “inner Jack.”

It is the permission we have been waiting for to end the cycle of searching and never finding. It’s an inquiry not an answer—the reader is provided with tools and challenged to find her own unique answers. It is the call to stop “jacking around.” It’s the access to being set free to create our lives and to stop waiting to live.

We are all Waiting for Jack—whatever or whoever “Jack” is. We falsely believe the gifts of life are just around the corner, that anywhere is better than here, that one day we will arrive and everything will be okay. So we don’t try; we give up. We sell out and we forget who we are. We are afraid to succeed, afraid to fail, and afraid to say we are afraid. But as Wayne Gretzky said, “You'll always miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don't take!”

So take the shot, get on the path, and move forward. Authentically give your word to something that matters to you. And remember, you don’t have to wait for Jack.

Thanks to the publicist!

7) The Third Rail by Michael Harvey. Booklist Product Description. Harvey’s third Michael Kelly novel finds the tough Chicago PI eyeball deep in a burgeoning reign of terror focused on the transit system, the venerable CTA. Kelly witnesses the first murder on an L platform and sets off in hot but futile pursuit. After the second murder, he receives a taunting phone call from the killer, who alludes to Kelly’s knowledge of ancient Greece. As Kelly dredges his memory for a suspect—and recalls painful moments from his youth—the FBI barges in, citing terrorism; spooky suits from Homeland Security lurk on the periphery; and the body count rises. Hizzoner, the Daleyesque John J. Wilson, summons Kelly to make him an offer he can’t refuse. The expert use of Chicago politics that distinguished Harvey’s previous novel, The Fifth Floor (2008), is much in evidence here as well. Hizzoner is still practicing realpolitik, Chicago style, and the main plot is based on a real-life CTA accident in the 1970s. But the edginess and noir sensibility that were central to the earlier book’s appeal are lessened a bit this time by Kelly’s becoming an insider; the mayor seems to admire and trust him. That said, the action is nonstop, Harvey once again captures the unique zeitgeist of the city, and Kelly, tough smart, and a bit rough around the edges, is a true native son. --Thomas Gaughan.

Thanks to FSB Associates!

8) House Rules by Jodi Picoult. Amazon Review. They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know how.

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way--and fails those who don't.

Welcome to Metroreader!

I'm a reader/commuter in the DC Metro Area. My daily commute to work provides me with ample time to do what I love most: read! Whether its chick lit, literature, memoirs or other non fiction you can always find me with a book.
Review requests may be sent to dcmetroreader(at)gmail(dot)com.

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